A client of mine has written a couple of wonderful books on emotional eating and weight loss (Life is Hard, Food is Easy and 100 Days of Weight Loss by Linda Spangle). A perk of my work with her was getting copies of the books so I could learn about what she does. I also am on her email distribution list, and weekly emails expand on the thoughts her books establish by providing personal examples and exercises to keep on the straight-and-narrow of weight loss/maintenance.
Most people (especially women) immediately understand what is meant by the phrase "emotional eating." At different times of my life, I have been guilty of eating as a response to stress, but over the years, I've come to recognize this reflex--and stop it before finding something to snack on. Linda's books are all about helping you identity those trigger moments and coming up with alternative responses to moments of frustration, boredom, anger, and other emotions. I highly recommend Life is Hard... if you constantly struggle with weight without knowing exactly why, and 100 Days of Weight Loss is great if you need help staying motivated while starting an exercise and nutrition regimen.
I have always had (often dramatic) fluctuations in weight, and denial was a major factor in having weight "sneak up" on me. I often worried about becoming anorexic (having had an actual period of the disorder in my past) and used that partially as an excuse for not looking at the scale; I was sure that the number I'd see beneath my feet would never live up to the ideal (imaginary) number I'd prefer. So instead of dealing with that number on the scale, I would avoid the scale at all costs, sometimes even living without one in my house. Then, all of a sudden, I'd feel like, "Why are my pants so tight?" without having concrete evidence that it was because, like, I was getting fat! Then I'd have crazy periods of strict dieting and extreme exercise to drop it quickly, and I was all about the New Year's resolution.
Now, with regard to my weight and health, I have a different philosophy. I think of it as a daily concern rather than the "What will I be like in three months?" approach that clearly did not work for me in the past. It's easier to make small daily choices than to think of the overwhelming work and effects of months and years of effort.
Anyway, one of the best things I took from Linda's books was getting into the habit of weighing myself every day. At first, I thought this might be fuel for obsession, that maybe I'd start to freak out about every fluctuation up and rejoice with every fluctuation down and create my own weight-derived bi-polar disorder that struck me only in the bathroom. On the contrary, in the couple of years I've been doing it, I've found it to be a great way for me to keep everything in check.
Armed with a vow not to get mad about my weight or disappointed in myself, I weigh myself every morning at the same time. As soon as I see a weight climb over the course of a few days, I can regard it as undeniable evidence that the prior week's poor eating habits have consequences (and can repair it rather quickly, which is way less painful than realizing I can't get my pants on!). On the other hand, my weight staying the same or dropping over the course of a few days motivates me to keep striving for my body's best. I attribute this practice to helping me limit holiday weight gain: I did put on a couple of pounds, where in previous years I easily could've packed on 10, and am hyper-aware of the work it will take to undo that sudden influx of sugar, alcohol, and whipped cream.
(I've never really had a sweet tooth until this winter... I couldn't get enough of sugar around the holidays, and I'm weaning myself off it this month, which is not a big ordeal. I am happy to report, on the other hand, that my "fat tooth" has substantially lessened over the last couple of years.)
So when you think about your resolutions and expectations for yourself, whether weight-related or not, consider the option of using a gauge to get instant feedback from your efforts. If you're quitting smoking, maybe that means seeing how many cigarettes are missing from the pack at the end of the day and what that translates to in dollars. If you're trying to exercise more, keep a tally of steps walked and leave yourself a Post-It Note on the mirror to remind yourself of your accomplishment.
Most people (especially women) immediately understand what is meant by the phrase "emotional eating." At different times of my life, I have been guilty of eating as a response to stress, but over the years, I've come to recognize this reflex--and stop it before finding something to snack on. Linda's books are all about helping you identity those trigger moments and coming up with alternative responses to moments of frustration, boredom, anger, and other emotions. I highly recommend Life is Hard... if you constantly struggle with weight without knowing exactly why, and 100 Days of Weight Loss is great if you need help staying motivated while starting an exercise and nutrition regimen.
I have always had (often dramatic) fluctuations in weight, and denial was a major factor in having weight "sneak up" on me. I often worried about becoming anorexic (having had an actual period of the disorder in my past) and used that partially as an excuse for not looking at the scale; I was sure that the number I'd see beneath my feet would never live up to the ideal (imaginary) number I'd prefer. So instead of dealing with that number on the scale, I would avoid the scale at all costs, sometimes even living without one in my house. Then, all of a sudden, I'd feel like, "Why are my pants so tight?" without having concrete evidence that it was because, like, I was getting fat! Then I'd have crazy periods of strict dieting and extreme exercise to drop it quickly, and I was all about the New Year's resolution.
Now, with regard to my weight and health, I have a different philosophy. I think of it as a daily concern rather than the "What will I be like in three months?" approach that clearly did not work for me in the past. It's easier to make small daily choices than to think of the overwhelming work and effects of months and years of effort.
Anyway, one of the best things I took from Linda's books was getting into the habit of weighing myself every day. At first, I thought this might be fuel for obsession, that maybe I'd start to freak out about every fluctuation up and rejoice with every fluctuation down and create my own weight-derived bi-polar disorder that struck me only in the bathroom. On the contrary, in the couple of years I've been doing it, I've found it to be a great way for me to keep everything in check.
Armed with a vow not to get mad about my weight or disappointed in myself, I weigh myself every morning at the same time. As soon as I see a weight climb over the course of a few days, I can regard it as undeniable evidence that the prior week's poor eating habits have consequences (and can repair it rather quickly, which is way less painful than realizing I can't get my pants on!). On the other hand, my weight staying the same or dropping over the course of a few days motivates me to keep striving for my body's best. I attribute this practice to helping me limit holiday weight gain: I did put on a couple of pounds, where in previous years I easily could've packed on 10, and am hyper-aware of the work it will take to undo that sudden influx of sugar, alcohol, and whipped cream.
(I've never really had a sweet tooth until this winter... I couldn't get enough of sugar around the holidays, and I'm weaning myself off it this month, which is not a big ordeal. I am happy to report, on the other hand, that my "fat tooth" has substantially lessened over the last couple of years.)
So when you think about your resolutions and expectations for yourself, whether weight-related or not, consider the option of using a gauge to get instant feedback from your efforts. If you're quitting smoking, maybe that means seeing how many cigarettes are missing from the pack at the end of the day and what that translates to in dollars. If you're trying to exercise more, keep a tally of steps walked and leave yourself a Post-It Note on the mirror to remind yourself of your accomplishment.
